thompson



J. D. THOMPSON.

SI GNAL.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-17.1917.

Patented Aug. 5, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1' (HEM-neg J. D. THOMPSON.

Patented Aug. 5, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wi/Weoo GROW/me J. D. THOMPSON.

I SIGNAL. AHPPLICATION mm ocrin. 1911. 5

Patented Aug. 5, 1919.

SSHEETS-SHEET 3.

signal. a

JOHN D. THoMrsoN, or nooimsrnn, new Yonx.

SIGNAL. r

Specification of Iletters I atent, PatentedAllg. 5, 1919.

Application filed October 17, 1917. Serial No. 186,987.

To all whom camera Be it known that I, JOHN D.-THoMPsoN, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Rochester, county of Monroe, State of New York, have. invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Signals, and declare the-following to bee full, clear, and exact description of thesame, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. f i

My invention relates to a signal apparatus for automobiles. f r a 'In the accompanying drawings 1 Figure 1. is a, perspective of a portion of the forward part of an automobile with l a signal apparatus embodying my invention attached thereto, l l

. Fig. 2'is a, detached view of the signal apparatus partly in section and. a part being removed to show the interior construction, the electrical circuits being shownQin diagram. a Fig. 3 is a section on the line B B, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is adetailviewof the signal lopcrating mechanism, the front of the contain ing casing being removed. J

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with the door open to permit the passage of the D is the body of an automobile; E is the windshield and F the steering wheel.

a is a movable part constitutingthe signal proper. terial and is shaped and marked toresemble a human hand. Within the signal, or hand,

a is an incandescent lamp 6. l

eis a box, or casing, intowhich the. signal a may turn and be concealed from view. The casing e is provided witha door. 0 at its lower edge which maybe opened, as

shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, to permitthe exit of the hand, or signal, a or-which may be closed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.. p e

The hand a is pivoted at one end upon a pintle a which extends from-the back wall of the casing (9. Upon the hand. a-is a small gear wheel a which passes over. the .pintle 0 and is rigidly secured to the hand. at is a segmental gear pivoted atd? to the casing e in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of the signal a. The teeth of the; segment cl engage those of the gear wheel a upon the casing e so that the oscillation. ofsaid segsurface, or tooth, on the drag link g. :a lever pivoted at one iend to the back wall mental gear shallturn the gear wheel 0 and therefore the signal a, g is a drag link vpivoted at one end to thesegmental gear 01 below its pivot,and guided so as to recipro cate'horlzontally in asooket piece g at the other end. 9 is a spring on the casing e tending .to forcethe drag link 9 to the right in the posltion at which the signal a is vfoldedwithinithe casing e. g is a stop upon the drag link: 9. limiting the motion of the same toward the right. 9 5 is an engaging is of the casing e near the outer end thereof and extendinghorizontally adjacent to the lower edge of saidcasing. f is a spring acting to raisethelever. f. f is a pawl secured to. the lever f and adapted to engage the tooth g on the drag link 9 at one position of the letter. A a

ois a door hinged at the lower edge of the rear wall of the casing: e and adapted to close the otherwise open lower portion of said casing. 3) is a1 link or-connecting rod pivoted at p? to a lug at the free end of the: lever 7 and at itsotheryend pivoted to a lug-on the door .0. When the lever f rises it pulls ;the door 0 to closed position by fmeansof thelink p. t i

- is, a bell crank lever pivotedat m to the drag link g. One arm of the lever m extends horizontallv past the engaging surface g? on said link. .Theother arm; of the lever extends vertically to a; point above jthedrag'link g. l

This is madeof translucent ma- II/IS connecting rodpivoted atra to the upper end of the vertical arm of the bell crank lever m. h is a cord or chain. at-

tached to the otherwise free end of the connecting rod a sst'is a tube having a vertical portion 8 tube 8 s and extending over the opening at the lower end of said tube throughwhich the cord it? passes, said cordis secured tothe lever i is a spring actingto .forcethe lever.z' away from the tube 8.. i is an engaging hookpivoted to the lever a and adapted to engage an edge i on the tube .9. The hook .11 has anarm extending at right angles from its pivoted end. 2' aretwo contact points,

about its pivot m thus pressing downward Isa engagement against the outer end of the night. r

open.

one on the arm extendingfrom the-hook i the other on the lever arm 11.

n is a source ofelectrical current which may be a battery. y is a horn. 3 1 g are conductors forming a circuit in which is the battery it and the horn j which circuit may be con'ipleted through the contaet'points i to sound the horn. V a

is? indicates contact points that are in a circuitl 70 including the battery a. When the signal a is thrown to its outer positlon the circuit is Zr; is completed through the lamp 6 atthe contact lc so as to light the lamp. 7 The operation ofthe above described device is as follows:

-When the hook i is released from engagement with the edge 71 the lever z" is forced by the spring'z' to its outer position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,t'hus drawing through the cord hirod' h, the link 9 to its position farthest tothe left, oscillating the segmental gear (2 and turning the hand or signal a to its outer and exposed position, as shown in Figs. 1 and2. When this is done the circuitis completed through the lamp 6 and the translucent hand constituting the signal is illumined so as to be distinctly seen at Atthe first motionoutward ofthe lever arm'i the bell crank lever on is oscillated on thejp'awl "f and forcing the lever f to its lower positionstFigsl 4 and 5) thus opening the door -0 'to-givep'as'sage to the hand when being turned toits outer position as above described. When the drag link 9 is drawn toward the lever the end of the pawl f engages against its lower surface (Fig. 2) and-holds the lever arm f down and the door NVhen it. is desiredfto withdraw the signal a the lever amt is pressed inward until the hook 2' engages the edge i on the tnbegs. This releases the tension on the cord 725 and the spring g' 'forces the link'g'tfo the right oscillating the segmental gear d andturnin'g the hand or signal a into the casing 6. 'When the link 9 has passed to near the limit of its travel to the right the pawl f 'is' just beyond the lower edge of said link and comes to horizontal armj of the bell crank lever; m. The spring i then raisesthe link 7 oscillatingjthe bell crank lever m and bringing the pawl f inj'enga'gement with the tooth or engagingiportion g of the link 9, and the raisingof the link 7 closes the door 0.

The pawl f engaging the portion g pre vents the longitudinalinovement of the link g and thus locks the apparatus in the closed position. ofthe casing and it can only be f unlocked by oscillating the lever When the'driver wishes todisplay as sign'al he first disengages the hook i from the into contact with each other completing the circuit through the horn j and sounding an alarm. 'I-Ie then'allows the lever arm 71 to turn to its outer position which displays the end forms an inclosure to the casing, ;The apparatus being actuated by opposing springs all lost motion is taken up and there is no-rattling due to the motion of the vehicle.

What I claim is:

1'. In an apparatus of the kind described, a casing, a pivoted signal in said casing adapted to extend beyond the same when turned inone position and to be inclosed in said casing with its outer end forming the inclosing wall to the end of said casing when turned to the other position, a door adapted to open and close a side portion 'of said casing to permit the passage of said signal and to inclose the same, and automat-ic' means for locking said door when the signal is turned within said casing.

2. In an apparatus of the kinddescribed,

'a' casing, a pivoted signal in said casing adapted'to extend beyond the same when turned in one position and to be inclosed in said casing with its outer end forming the inclosing wall to the end of'said casing when turned to the other positioma door adapted to open and close a certain portion of said casing to permit the passage of said signal and to inclose the same, and automatic means for locking said door and signal when the signal is turned into said casing.

8. In an apparatus of the kind described, a. casing, a movable signal part, a reciprocating rod adapted to actuate said signal 'part, a hinged door adapted to open and close one side of said casing, a tooth upon sa1d reciprocating rod, a pawl connected wlth sa1d door so as to engage said tooth when the door is closed, a lever pivoted upon said reciprocating rod and engaging said tube, and means connecting with said lever for reciprocating said rod so arranged that it shall disengage said tooth when the force for reciprocating the rod is applied to said lever.

4. In an apparatus of the kind described,

a movable signal part, a spring acting; to

throw said part into its exposed position and a spring adapted to retract said signal part,' a'nd'meansfor acting upon the last named spring to permit the projecting turned in the other position, a, door adapted 10 spring to act, substantially as and for the to open and close the side opening of said purpose described. casing to permit the passage of said signal 5. In an apparatus of the kind described, and to inclose the same and automatiemeens e cesing open on two sides, a signal in said for Working the door independent of the casing adapted to swing 180 degrees and signal. 1 15 extend beyond the same when in one posi- I11 testimony whereof, I sign this specifition and to be inclosed in said casing With cation.

its end closing one of the openings when JOHN D. THOMPSON.

copies 0! this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, wuhington, D. 0. 

